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Feo leaned back slightly, resting his palms on the edge of the bed as he listened to Lucius’s rambling thoughts. His gaze softened as Lucius paced, golden feathers catching the morning light as they unfurled. The way Lucius moved, the way his mind darted from one concern to the next—it was so quintessentially him. Feo found it endearing, even if he knew the man was wearing himself thin trying to account for every possible outcome. - “Alright, slow down for a second,” Feo said, holding up a hand. His voice was calm but carried a gentle firmness meant to ground Lucius. “Let’s take it one step at a time.” He pushed himself up from the bed, stepping closer to where Lucius stood near the window. - “Contacting Heimdall... gods are complicated.” He scratched the back of his neck, his dark hair falling forward slightly. “Sometimes they just... show up when they want to. Other times, you have to do something flashy to get their attention. I wouldn’t overthink it, though. If he said he’s watching, chances are he’ll show up when he feels like it. Probably when we least want him to. But we could.. uh.. call for him, maybe? I'm not exactly sure. 'Hey, buddy, we have some lingering questions.'" He shrugged. - Feo reached out, lightly brushing his fingers along the edge of one of Lucius’s feathers. The touch was brief, but it carried a quiet reassurance. “About the weapon thing... feel free to ask him, but no matter what he says, you can and will." He paused. "If you want to. But I'd feel much better if you at least had a knife on you. Less likely to get trampled by a pack of griffins out for our blood, or something absurd." - He chuckled softly, stepping back and running a hand through his own hair. “Asgard, though...” Feo’s expression turned more serious. “That’s a big ‘if.’ I don’t know if it’s a good idea to agree to something like that without knowing the terms. If they ask us to go there, it’s probably for a reason that benefits them more than us. So if it comes up, we don’t say yes right away. We talk about it first.” - He rubbed his head. Going to Asgard was both a good and bad idea. That would put Feo closer to Loki, but.. that could put Lucius closer Loki, as well. And that made Feo hesitate. - But maybe Feo could leave Lucius behind, and execute this on his own. His Dove would be safe on Earth, as long as Loki didn't get away. - Feo’s gaze met Lucius’s, turning his thoughts back to the present, and he reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. “And you? Don’t stress about mouthing off. If Heimdall or anyone else has a problem with it, that’s on them. You don’t need to change who you are just to appease them. That’s not why we’re doing this.” - He paused, his lips curving into a faint smile. “Besides, if it comes down to it, I can always smooth things over. I’ve got a little more experience dealing with gods, remember?” - “Now, breakfast. You mentioned coffee, and that’s a solid plan. We’ll eat, map out the day, figure out what we're to do. One step at a time, Dove. We've got this.” - They did not have this. - Feo, on the other hand? Feo had a slim chance, as long as Lucius was safe. - For the meantime, 'they' would become 'he'. - He had this. - Feo had this. - So, then, how to tell Lucius that he wanted to leave him with humans to throw his life at his tormentor? |
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Lightbringer
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Lucius paused in his pacing as Feo spoke, urging him to slow down. Take it one step at a time? That sounded... wrong at a moment like this. Lucius wasn't sure what to do now that the gods were involved. It ... it had gone off script in a way he wasn't prepared for. Lucius looked back at Feo as he stepped toward him, taking a step to the side to give him room. Gods were complicated, so was reaching out to them. They showed up when they wanted, apparently. Which was fantastic in a sense. It meant that technically, they didn't have to worry about constantly being watched. In theory. Whether or not that theory was correct, Lucius really didn't know. "I'd... I'd feel a bit safer with a weapon as well," Lucius admitted quietly, the small ghost of a laugh in his words, "less likely to get potentially shanked by ... a cow-taur or whatever that was." Asgard was brushed aside as a 'if it happens it will be addressed,' sort of notion which Lucius would gladly take. It meant he didn't have to think about it in the slightest. Lucius lifted his hand upward to set on Feo's arm as he reached for his shoulder. The weight a reassurance in the rush of everything. Feo did have more experience dealing with gods. But Lucius was more determined to stick by his side. He wasn't going to let go. That sounded like a better plan for now. "Eat, map out the day and then go forward," he echoed for a moment or two. It was just a minor setback in a long series of plans. One thing at a time that was how it was going to go. If it was even a setback at all. Not that Lucius was worried at all, no, of course not. His mind was already kicking through different plans. It would take much, much longer than his initial plan. But, if he could convince Heimdall that they were just going on a trip away from campus to avoid the trouble there and to learn more about their history and life outside of campus and the godly realms, perhaps he would take it. Spend a few weeks or months out traveling and then, perhaps, return to him and point out that Lucius hadn't been to a godly realm. They ask for permission to enter Asgard, spend a few days or a week there... and then head to the cave to get rid of Loki. Easy as pie. Heimdall would probably turn a blind eye--ha--since it would get rid of a problem and solve that one in particular. Once that was done, they could return to the mortal world and then continue the rest of the plan to get the gods in check. It had potential to work. |
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Feo studied Lucius as he spoke, noting the slight unease lingering in his voice despite the attempts to focus on the plan. The tension in Lucius’s shoulders told a deeper story—one of relentless determination and quiet worry. Feo didn’t need to call attention to it; he knew better than to press when Lucius was still sorting through the whirlwind of his own thoughts. Instead, he nodded, letting the moment breathe. - “Eat, map out the day, and then move forward,” Feo echoed Lucius’s words with a small, approving nod. “That’s a solid place to start.” He let his hand linger briefly on Lucius’s shoulder before stepping past him to grab his tunic from the floor. If Lucius needed a weapon to feel safe, they’d figure that out, too. No cow-taur or god was going to catch either of them unprepared again. Feo had been considering stealing a knife from somewhere anyway, to replace the one that'd been left in Atlas's hand. - Pulling the tunic over his shoulders, Feo glanced back at Lucius, catching the subtle flicker of gears turning in his head. “You’ve got something brewing in there, don’t you?” His voice was light, teasing, but there was genuine curiosity in his expression. “You always do when you get that look.” Feo was familiar enough with Lucius's 'thinking hard' face. - He stepped closer again, tilting his head slightly as he folded his arms. “Whatever you’re thinking, I’m with you. Just remember, it doesn’t all have to be perfect right away. Draft your plan before you make the final copy. And, for the love of all things mighty, don't put the draft into effect.” He grinned faintly, nudging Lucius’s arm. “But if you come up with a master plan, I’m all ears.” - Feo didn’t doubt Lucius’s ability to think ten steps ahead; it was one of the things he admired most about him. Still, Feo was there to remind him that it didn’t all have to fall on his shoulders. He wanted to at least help whatever plan Lucius thought up, while he constructed his own. - “Let’s get breakfast first,” Feo suggested, his tone softer now. “You think better on a full stomach, anyway.” He motioned toward the door with a small tilt of his head, signaling they should get moving. They could figure out the rest of their day—and whatever plan Lucius had brewing—over coffee and something warm to eat. |
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Lightbringer
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Lucius bobbed his head lightly and stepped back to finally slip his shoes on. It would take longer but hopefully, it would allow them to prepare more. Reluctantly, he noted, it would also give them extra time to allow Loki to do more dumb stuff that they could report to Heimdall and slow the god down that way as well. As long as that 'dumb stuff' wasn't too outrageous or dumb. Which it could happen if it really came to it. But that was why they were getting a weapon. Knife... well, Lucius wasn't sure how well he'd work with a knife. But a weapon to start with and some sort of training. His sapphire eyes swiveled to Feo, finally focusing on the demigod as he broke the silence. Lucius gave him a rather confident grin. "You know I do," he said with a small huffing chuckle. "And this time it's smart--" Lucius let out a small chuff of air. "Okay well, this one is a good plan," he wrapped the watch around his wrist and follow his motion toward the door. "Okay. So it takes longer than I initially wanted it to take. But y'know? That's alright. Sometimes, things like this take a bit of time," he pulled the door open. "But we do convince Heimdall that we're just traveling around America. I thought about Europe but I'm leaning more towards... that's a bad idea. So, America is where we stay. But we're out in America learning about how mortals actually live and to avoid the trouble in campus. I mean, all he has to do is watch for like five seconds and some kids are starting fights. It's not a secret," he kept pace with Feo as he laid out his new grand plan. "Anyways, we learn more about mortals and how they live life. You've lived in Asgard and I never really got out much since... y'know, wings. Never hid them until lately. He doesn't have to know that I lived in a tiny little mortal town. If he does, it was tiny. It's not the same." Lucius took in a breath and let it out. "So we spend a few weeks traveling America. We learn how they live, history, find other demigods and learn how they live. Then, after a while, we go back to him and ask if you can show me around Asgard. We go for a day or so, just enough to get in and out but not do anything," he explained loosely, stepping out of the hallway and glanced around to see if they had an open breakfast. "We let Heimdall relax, realize that we're not really going to cause trouble and he can untwist his knickers." It didn't look like the hotel did anything fancy but they did have a coffee pot. "We go travel some more, maybe head up into Canada or something. Where doesn't really matter that much. But in that time, it might give Loki time to do something stupid that we can tell Heimdall. Heimdall gets on his case and so by the time we actually decide to get rid of him, Heimdall will turn a blind eye to it. He won't have to worry about Ragnarok or none of that... nobody's gonna miss him or care..." Lucius explained his plan, headed toward the pot of coffee. "But it takes a lot longer than previously intended but hopefully by playing the long game it'll keep everything under the radar." |
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Feo followed Lucius with quiet amusement, his expression softening as he listened to the carefully thought-out plan. There was a meticulousness to Lucius’s thinking that always impressed him, even when the plans themselves carried the kind of risk only someone like Lucius would dare to consider. Feo kept pace, his arms loosely crossed over his chest, and let Lucius work through the details. - When Lucius turned toward the coffee pot, Feo leaned against the counter, nodding slowly. “It’s... ambitious,” he admitted, his tone light but thoughtful. “But I think you’re onto something. Giving Heimdall enough to keep his focus elsewhere and keeping things calm on the surface—it’s smart. It’s patient.” - Feo couldn’t help but grin faintly as Lucius outlined the bit about Asgard. “You’re really committed to the idea of convincing him we’re just two clueless mortals wandering around, huh?” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “But you’re right. It’s not a bad cover. Especially if we can sell the whole ‘learning how mortals live’ angle.” - Feo watched Lucius with a knowing look as the younger man poured himself some coffee. The idea of buying time—of drawing things out strategically—was one Feo hadn’t entirely considered. It wasn’t his nature to play the long game, but it was Lucius’s. Feo found himself trusting in that, even if it wasn’t how he’d normally operate. - “And the weapon?” Feo asked after a moment, raising a brow. “You think Heimdall’s going to be okay with you carrying something? I mean, I’m not against it. If it helps you feel safer, I’m all for it. But convincing him might take some work. He doesn’t strike me as the trusting type. No god really does." - Feo pushed off the counter and grabbed a mug for himself, pouring a cup of coffee. “Still,” he said as he stirred in a bit of sugar, “it’s a solid plan. Slower, sure, but like you said—sometimes these things take time. As long as we’re in this together, I’m good with it.” - He glanced at Lucius, his gaze steady. “And if Heimdall’s not willing to play along? What then? Do we just keep moving, or... do we find another way?” It wasn’t a challenge, just an honest question. Feo needed to know how far Lucius was willing to take this—and how prepared they were for the potential fallout. |
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Lightbringer
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Feo was at least willing to hear him out and the reaction was telling. It was better than his previous plan. It was good enough that Feo was willing to go with it--or at least work with the initial "draft" of the plan. Having more than one draft was not exactly something that Lucius was used to. but he was willing to work with it. "That's my hope. I figure--especially since I mouthed off to Heimdall first, he'll figure that maybe we can get a sense of self-preservation from the mortals and get out of his hair for the most part. But I am relatively confident now. If I bring up the whole cow-taur thing and that I nearly had my throat slit, I think he'll be far more willing to let me have a weapon. I mean, he ... I'm not exactly the type of guy that's going to go around wielding the weapon like it's some sort of trophy. He knows that, I know that, you know that... it's... yeah." He sipped lightly at the mug of coffee. It was... it was bland and stale. But at least it was warm and something. "If he doesn't go along with it, then we find a way around it," Lucius confirmed with a brief nod. "Just because he can see everywhere, doesn't mean he's always watching. Which means that if we get the upper hand, move faster than he can pay attention to us, then we get the jump and he has to try and decide what to pay attention to. War or two random demigods?" Lucius added a bit more sugar to the coffee, his nose crinkled. "... this--this is kind of bad, I can't lie. I mean, it's free but still, this tastes... bland." The young man shook his head lightly, tossing golden hair. "But I think for today, the main goal is to find the guy with the collection. We see it, just like we were planning on. Then we do a little bit of shopping for craft-y stuff, and a comb, come back and then figure out where we want to go?" Or see if Heimdall was going to butt into their business again. Which Lucius had high suspicions that the god was just itching to see and wait to get into his business without a doubt. The young man tilted his head and glanced toward Feo. "Anything you'd like to do today? Add to it, take away...?" He prompted with a slight tilt of his head. There wasn't much to do... Garden City was... rather small. But they were out of campus, they had the world, kind of, to explore. They could really see what it was like to just be normal human beings. |
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Feo sipped his coffee and immediately made a face. “Blah. You’re not wrong about the coffee,” he muttered, setting the cup down. “It’s like drinking disappointment.” - You have always been a disappointment, Loki's voice echoed, and Feo reached up and waved the thought away. He could care less was Loki thought at this point. Unless it was Loki thinking about how we was terrified of Feo and what he might do, Loki could choke on it for all Feo cared. - He leaned against the counter, arms crossed as he listened to Lucius refine the plan. It was... methodical, well thought out, and ambitious. But that was Lucius—always aiming high, even when the odds were stacked against them. Feo couldn’t help but admire that. It gave him hope in situations where he might otherwise feel out of his depth. - “Alright,” Feo said with a nod. “Finding the collector is priority one. If Heimdall doesn’t barge in again, then yeah, shopping and some downtime sound good. We can’t do much if we’re running on empty, so taking a beat to regroup is probably smart.” He let out a small chuckle. - Feo tilted his head in thought, considering Lucius’s question. “Honestly, your plan covers most of it. I think we should keep the options open for tonight, though. Depending on how the collector visit goes, we might need to adjust. If he’s got useful information—or something weird happens—we’ll want the flexibility to deal with it.” - He drummed his fingers against his arm. “But as for today... I wouldn’t mind finding a decent meal somewhere. Maybe a diner or something. Something better than this.” He gestured toward the coffee cup. “And if we’re going to shop, I might need a few things too. Just... backup supplies. Extra clothes, first-aid stuff. That kind of thing. Can’t hurt to be over-prepared, right?” He thought about that for a moment. "Well, I mean, for me. I get that you'd probably want to go back to campus to get your stuff." He looked down. "I would.. rather start fresh." All those letters, the trinkets, his old clothes, Varmiire.. everything he'd ever had was Loki's. If he was going to be a new person, then he needed to have new things. And, in all honesty, he was probably going to burn these clothes after he was done with them. - Feo paused, watching Lucius as he fiddled with his coffee. There was something comforting about the way Lucius was already diving into plans and strategies. It was grounding in a way Feo didn’t expect. - "Blend in with mortals. Do normal things,” Feo said with a faint grin. “You make it sound easy. But... yeah. We can try. It’s not like I’ve had much practice at it either.” His voice softened slightly. “We’ll figure it out, though. Or, at least, I will, since you seem to insist that your life is as bland as this coffee, and that you're basically human anyway. I don't think it was.” Feo pushed off of the counter. "Can you tell me about it? What growing up on Earth was like?" |
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Lightbringer
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Lucius bobbed his head, at least finishing his cup. He could at least do that much. His sapphire eyes flicked from coffee to Feo as he spoke. Finding the collector. Yes. Get advice on just being in the mortal world while also being a demigod. He'd have advice on that at least--especially when he collected stuff like that? Definitely. Some shopping and downtime. Down time. Lucius wasn't sure how well he was going to do with that one. He was used to just always moving. Always doing something. Well, he could work on the dreamcatcher during downtime. That would be good, maybe pick up a journal to write in and keep a written record of their adventures. That didn't sound like a bad idea. Not at all actually. Keeping that night relatively open to prepare for whatever was coming their way, be it good or not, that was a pretty fair idea. A decent meal also sounded like a good idea. Something better than... sad coffee. "First--yeah, that's probably a fair idea too," Lucius admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. First-aid was not something he usually started with. Most of the time he avoided it and the injuries he did get were minor enough to ignore. A splinter here and there, a little paper-cut, a bruise--little things that he could ignore or take care of in mere seconds. "I think over preparation is better than under prepared," Lucius gave him a rather teasing smile, thinking about the night before. He was rather under prepared. "But we can start fresh, get some new looks. It'll be fun," he gave Feo a much brighter grin. Lucius tossed the cup in the little trash can beside the coffee pot and started to walk alongside Feo as he recounted his childhood. "To be fair, it really wasn't ... on earth as much as you'd think. It was this little tiny town full of just demigods and mythical creatures. It was just located on earth." He had to pause and think about what a regular childhood was supposed to look like. His first thoughts drifted to Milo. "Well, we had a school like everybody else. We'd go and learn different mortals stuff, history and geology to allow us--most of us--to blend in with the rest of everybody else. There were playgrounds, there was just open fields, you could learn to drive if you could. I... kind of did. It was hard though, since... wings." He shrugged lightly, holding the door open. "It's kind of hard to explain." Not to mention the fact that he usually did his own thing. He'd crash at houses around his own, avoid going home, play around on playgrounds, fly alongside biking friends and inevitably get in trouble somehow and some way. Having a reliable parent? Nope. |
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Feo stayed quiet for a moment, his mind spinning with the idea of Lucius’s childhood. He could almost see it, a little town tucked away from the rest of the world, full of people who weren’t bound by the same rules that had shaped his own existence. It sounded so... ordinary, in an odd way, despite the mythic creatures and powers that must have been scattered around. It wasn’t something Feo had ever known. His life had been anything but ordinary, shaped by the whims of others and lived under the shadow of their expectations. - He glanced at Lucius, his brow furrowing slightly as the other man mentioned school, driving, and playgrounds. It felt like Lucius was speaking from a world that Feo could never touch, one where childhood was a thing to experience. A playground to run through, a road to drive down, friends to share moments with. Feo had never even thought about something like that. School was something for other people. For people who had lives outside the chaos. For those who didn’t have the weight of gods and monsters pulling at their strings. - "I get it," Feo said after a beat, his voice low. He ran a hand over his face, his fingers dragging through the slight stubble on his chin. He tried his best to keep himself clean-shaven—he wasn't particularly fond of facial hair—but he'd been away from anything to get rid of it for a while. Unless he wanted to be an idiot and shave it with a knife. - His thoughts were cluttered, half-formed as he tried to put the right words together. "I guess... growing up like that, it sounds... different from what I had." He shifted his stance, his arms crossing over his chest as his eyes flickered toward the ground. - “Having a place to belong, people who understand what you are, who can maybe help you... even if it wasn’t perfect—there’s a kind of... comfort in that, I think. I mean, I never had that.” He let out a short breath, a bitter laugh escaping his lips before he could stop it. “Most of my life, I never really got to choose what happened to me. I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have a family that gave a damn... it was just me and... well, you know. Loki. A constant reminder that I was always going to be less than. A thing to be used, tossed aside when no longer needed.” - Feo’s voice had a hard edge to it, but there was a vulnerability there too. One he didn’t like letting anyone see. “I mean, yeah, I had... things in my life. But it’s not the same, is it? The people I’ve met, Varmiire, the ones who might care about me, they’ve all been out of reach, for one reason or another. It’s hard to really trust when you’ve been lied to for so long.” - The ones that might care about me. - Blonde hair came to the front of his mind again, and he really wanted to stab himself for even thinking it. He'd been doing so good, and all of the sudden, Lucius had fallen on him and triggered all of these false memories. - He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes flicking toward the floor before he glanced at Lucius again. “You know, when you said you had friends to fly with and bike with... I don’t know. It sounded free, you know? Like you could just... be. That’s something I never had. No one to talk to about the stuff I had to carry. No one to show me what it was like to be something other than... well, a mistake. It must’ve been nice to have that freedom. To have a life that felt like yours.” - For a moment, Feo fell quiet again, letting the weight of his words sink in. He didn't often let himself reflect on what he'd missed out on—on the life he might've had if things had been different. "Sorry," he mumbled. "That was a little weird. I didn't mean to dump that on you." - He sighed, shaking his head with a small, almost rueful smile. “But hey, at least you had wings. I can’t exactly complain about my own situation—someone has to be the guy without a shiny pair of wings.” His grin widened a little, though it was far from full. - "Anyway," he continued, pushing himself up and turning to face Lucius. “I guess, in the end, we all get our own version of ‘freedom,’ right? Yours just happens to come with flight and a school that wasn’t just one long, miserable test of survival.” He shrugged, as if brushing it off. “But whatever. We’ve got our own problems to deal with now, anyway.” He gestured toward the door, ready to move forward. - Feo hesitated, giving one last glance at Lucius, his expression softening slightly. “I’m glad you got that taste of freedom, Lucius. It sounds like you needed it. And I guess... I’m trying to figure out what mine looks like now, too.” His voice faltered for a brief moment, but he quickly shook it off, shifting back into the role he knew best—forward motion, no looking back. - No looking back. Except for at night, when he was alone and cold. - "So," he said, standing a little taller, "let’s hit up that old dude, get some new clothes, and just... reset for a bit. We’ve got work to do, and I’m guessing some food and supplies wouldn’t hurt before we go take on whatever the gods have thrown our way this time.” He gave a half smile. "Let’s make it a good one." |
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Lightbringer
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Lucius paused for a moment as Feo spoke. It was different from what he had--which was somewhat obvious in a way. At the same time, Lucius couldn't quite... tell him that it wasn't his experience either. A place to belong? No, not really. Just avoiding the place he really did belong. People to help? No, people who took pity. His mother didn't exactly give many thoughts or cares as to him either. But it felt so wrong to say something to contradict what Feo was saying. Maybe... maybe it'd be best if he just didn't say anything at all. That was probably best. But ... even still, the idea of being needed--even just a little bit--was foreign. Actually being needed and wanted? What a foreign concept. What was that actually like? Obviously, neither of them really knew that. But to just be. That was all he had ever done, was just be. No real goals, no real plan in life, nothing like the others. Just floating along the breeze and wondering if they really ever actually cared or if they just tolerated him solely for the looks and to not get in trouble with their own parents. He didn't really talk about his home life with them either. And ... not being a mistake? Well--boy howdy did Lucius know the looks he had gotten behind his back. They always thought they were sneaky or good at hiding it. Mirrors, reflections, windows and the likes told him far more. "No--no, I think I get it," Lucius said softly, his own smile widening. It'd be fine, just throw it in the past and never talk about it again. Brilliant. "I mean, it could've been one long test of survival. If I'd stuck around campus, truth be told? I don't think I would've lasted very long without ending up in trouble someway, somehow that would've made the rest of school very, very long and miserable," he admitted and shook his head. One hand pushed through his golden hair, stepping through the door. Freedom. It wasn't freedom. It was loneliness. "It changes as we get older," Lucius brushed by, focusing on Feo. "Freedom now? Traveling the world. Freedom then? Well, it was eating dirt. Let's be honest, kids? Dumbest things alive. Freedom changes and shifts as we get older, as we gain experience and that's the beauty of it," his lips pulled into a brighter smile. "It means learning and failing, succeeding and finding what works best for you." He tipped his head lightly, setting his hands on his hips for a moment. "I have no idea where this guy lives," he admitted. "So, might as well walk around, see if we can't find somebody who does, maybe find a diner and something better to eat along the way." He started forward, his hands settling at his sides. |
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Spring Month: 2 
Day 
Heavy Rain
